Kirsten's innings leads SA to remarkable victory

Durban - Shrugging off the nightmare trauma of the last 72 hours
South Africa forgot the recriminations of Hansiegate for an
evening and concentrated on beating Australia at Kingsmead in the
opening match of the Challenge Series.

It was a remarkable four-wickets victory against the World Cup
champions: just what a packed Kingsmead, and perhaps South
Africa, needed in a time of internal crisis.

With Gary Kirsten digging deep in a hallmark display of
left-handed batting grit, synonymous with the Kirsten name,
during a well-paced innings of 97, South Africa went on to take a
1-0 lead in the three-match series.

In some small way it avenged the two defeats during the World Cup
in England last year as the side, shaken by the Hansie Cronje
scandal focused their minds on the game and pulled together in a
display of true character. The success coming with 12 balls to
spare.

After Kirsten and Jacques Kallis had laid the foundation with a
well executed partnership of 129 for the third wicket, Jonty
Rhodes arrived and an audacious pull off a short delivery from
Brett Lee ended the game with a four. It was an entertaining
flourish and as flamboyant as any innings we have seen.

Yet Kirsten"s innings was full of purpose and merit: it was as if
he wanted to win this match so much he was not prepared to
surrender his wicket at any price. The pity that he edged a
slower delivery from Brett Lee into his stumps.

Not surprisingly he won the man of the match of award and
admitted that the way to beat the Australians was to build
partnerships. His partnership with Kallis did much to give the
South Africans a touch more confidence lower in the order.

Their partnership did much to contain the man they have named the
Woollongong Whizz, Brett Lee, and the old adversary Shane Warne
along with Damien Fleming.

If Kirsten, whose last visit to Kingsmead resulted his
Test-equalling score of 275, was prepared to take South Africa"s
batting cause on his shoulders, he found willing support in his
partnerships with Kallis and 67 with Rhodes.

What was interesting is Kallis batting at four in the order.
Perhaps South Africa have found the top five positions they want
for the series with Neil McKenzie at three, a position filled by
Kallis, whose strokeplay showed he was on top of his game and the
six was as authoritative as any during the game.

As for Rhodes there was no mistaking his intentions from the
start of his innings. His calm, assured approach and neat
footwork showed that South Africa have a middle-order batsman who
can take the tough pressure exerted by the visitors. They know a
trick or two and so does Rhodes.

Not that scoring the 241 need was going to be easy although at
120 for seven at the start of the 27th over, Shaun Pollock, in
his first serious role as captain, must have thought chasing a
total of 150 was well within his side"s sights.

Only Australia"s ability to dig deep into their batting reserves
with a couple of quality partnerships at least put a brave smile
on the face of the visitors" first batting effort in South Africa
this century. As Martyn eased his way along with an entertaining
array of eloquent strokes, he did not shield his lesser partners.

There was the distinct impression that the other two Cobbers in
the middle, Fleming and Lee, had to dig in and provide a few runs
themselves as well as help build a partnerships to prop up the
innings. Not at all easy when the top and middle has surrendered
some of the initiative.

Mark Waugh might feel a touch miffed about his lbw decision which
seemed to drifting down leg and Matthew Hayden, the victim of one
of those superb run out efforts from an airborne throw from the
covers, the victim of circumstances.

At 11 for two in the fourth over South Africa could feel well
satisfied with their efforts. Gilchrist was batting with the sort
of style which makes him look more of an executioner in the
Klusener mould than the elegant style of Mark Waugh.

They way he punched the ball around made Kingsmead look a lot
smaller than it really is. The venue may be a touch bigger than
St George"s Park and Newlands, and about the same size as the
Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo but his effusive style was an
indication of wrist and foot co-ordination as well as timing.

For those who enjoy such tactics it was good to watch and the way
he smashed the ball for six gave the Aussie camp a sense of
confidence.

What undid the middle-order, Martyn apart, was the way that
Ntini, bowling as well as he did in Sharjah and certainly much
better than his domestic performances, skidded the ball through.
His four wickets were all well executed catches behind by
Boucher.

The inter-action between these two was entertaining as it was
skilfully executed, as if it was part of a well crafted script:
three of the catches were under-edged shots along with the big
prize, Steve Waugh"s wicket for two.

After the agony of that 120 at Headingley in Leeds in the Super
Six match and the 56 in the semi-final at Edgbaston, to get rid
of the gritty, determined Steve Waugh for only two was a bonus.
For Ntini it was the start of a particularly rewarding spell.

Acknowledgement too for the way Pollock handled the young man who
rewarded his captain also with the wickets of Michael Bevan,
Andrew Symonds and Warne. Not at all a bad haul for the
23-year-old Border bowler"s first game at home for his country in
two seasons.

What was interesting as the Aussie dug deep was how first Fleming
and then Lee put together career best scores. Fleming managed 29
off 45 balls and Lee 24 off 29 balls. It was the partnerships
with Martyn of 65 and 56 which lifted Australia"s total to 240
two runs being added when one of Gilchrist"s three sixes was
changed from a four.